In a delightful and full-of-suprises story,
10 Days That Changed History, the New York Times describes 10 magical days that changed America’s history.
Here’s one:
JUNE 8, 1610: A Lord’s Landfall
Three years after its founding, the Virginia Colony was a failure. A few dozen starving settlers packed some meager possessions and sailed from Jamestown on June 7, headed back toward England. The next morning, to their surprise, they spotted a fleet coming toward them, carrying a new governor, Lord De La Warr, and a year’s worth of supplies.
If not for his appearance, Virginia might have gone the way of so many lost colonies. What is now the Southeastern United States could well have ended up in the French or Dutch empires…
And in case they take it down, here’s the PDF version.